White House briefly evacuated due to smoking transformer

According to the Secret Service, the West Wing of the White House was evacuated after smoke was seen in a mechanical room. NBC's Peter Alexander reports.

Reporters were evacuated from the White House on Saturday morning after an overheated transformer drew fire trucks to the West Wing.

The evacuation came after smoke was seen in a mechanical room, the Secret Service said. Multiple fire trucks raced to the building at about 7:15 a.m. Secret Service officers blocked off the entrances to the West Wing.

“The transformer problem was quickly resolved. Electricity and personnel access to the West Wing has returned to normal,” a White House official said in a statement to Reuters. “The First Family was unaffected.”

No injuries were reported.

Carolyn Kaster / AP

District of Columbia Fire department trucks and personnel respond to a call at the White House, Saturday, May 11, 2013, in Washington.